Changes

In 1979, Donelon, still a Democrat, passed up a reelection bid to the Jefferson Parish Council to make an unsuccessful race for lieutenant governor against the Democrat Bobby Freeman of Plaquemine in Iberville Parish. Donelon was considered the "[[conservative]]" in that race to the "[[liberal]]" Freeman. Most of the supporters of Republican [[David C. Treen]], the narrow winner of the gubernatorial election that year, are believed to have backed Donelon, and most of the backers of Treen's general election opponent, Democrat Louis Lambert, a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, went with Freeman.<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],''February 21, 1980, p. 13C.</ref>  

In 1979, Donelon, still a Democrat, passed up a reelection bid to the Jefferson Parish Council to make an unsuccessful race for lieutenant governor against the Democrat Bobby Freeman of Plaquemine in Iberville Parish. Donelon was considered the "[[conservative]]" in that race to the "[[liberal]]" Freeman. Most of the supporters of Republican [[David C. Treen]], the narrow winner of the gubernatorial election that year, are believed to have backed Donelon, and most of the backers of Treen's general election opponent, Democrat Louis Lambert, a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, went with Freeman.<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],''February 21, 1980, p. 13C.</ref>  

There was also a Republican in the race, Russel C. "Russ" Kiger, II (1914-1995), then a field representative of the National Cash Register Company based in Baton Rouge. Kiger said that his views parallelled those of Treen and claimed that his non-political technical background would have brought new insight into state government.<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' October 11, 1979, special election supplement.</ref> Yet, Kiger polled only 46,847 votes in the primary, fewer than half of the registered Republicans then on the Louisiana voter rolls, and was hence eliminated from the Donelon-Freeman general election. Jesse Monroe Knowles, a state senator and decorated World War II veteran from [[Lake Charles]], was yet another candidate in the lieutenant governor's contest. Like Donelon, Knowles also switched to Republican affiliation.<ref>''Baton Rouge Advocate,'' April 3, 1980, p. B1.</ref>

There was also a Republican in the race, Russel C. "Russ" Kiger, II (1914-1995), then a field representative of the National Cash Register Company based in Baton Rouge. Kiger said that his views parallelled those of Treen and claimed that his non-political technical background would have brought new insight into state government.<ref>''Shreveport Journal,'' October 11, 1979, special election supplement.</ref> Yet, Kiger polled only 46,847 votes in the primary, fewer than half of the registered Republicans then on the Louisiana voter rolls, and was hence eliminated from the Donelon-Freeman general election. Jesse Monroe Knowles, a state senator and decorated World War II veteran from [[Lake Charles]], was yet another candidate in the lieutenant governor's contest. Like Donelon, Knowles also switched to Republican affiliation.<ref>''Baton Rouge Advocate,'' April 3, 1980, p. B1.</ref>

==Congressional campaign, 1980==

==Congressional campaign, 1980==